Castle Mountain ruined my life. After ten seasons here, it is almost impossible to visit other ski towns. The snow quality and terrain is simply unparalelled by any other resort. People will tell you that the resort is small and that the lifts are slow, but the reality is just the opposite. With 2900 acres (5th largest in Canada, by acreage) and over 850 metres of vertical (or 2800 feet for those of you that are metrically challenged) this place is amazing. Yes, the lifts aren't exactly modern, but considering the vertical you milk from them (red and blue chair each take about 11 minutes, the same as all the high speed quads at Fernie, Sunshine, Whistler, etc.) you are actually getting more vertical for your sitting time than any resort in Canada. And you never have to factor in wait times, because even on a record breaking day (approximately 2500 people, a tenth of what Whistler sees on an average weekend) the lift lines are virtually nonexistent compared to other resorts. It is not uncommon to rack up well over 25,000 feet of vertical for a day of skiing at Castle, with no hiking involved whatsoever. And have I mentioned steep? With the longest sustained fall line skiing in North America and steep tree pitches that can be skied even on these days where it is snowing waaaay too hard to ski the chutes (which is about the only reason not to ski them if you consider yourself a real skier) Castle has plenty to offer.
As for the snow, Castle is part of the same range as Fernie, and therefore is blessed with the same snow climate anomaly. Except for our extra 1000 feet of elevation, and exposure to the praire arctic air mass, which results in colder temperatures and thus drier snow. As any local will tell you; when it rains at Fernie, it dumps at Castle.
Yes, it's a hokey, backwater, redneck resort, but that's why we love it. There's a lot of guys who ski in cowboy hats and coveralls, but they're not tourists from Texas, they're locals, and they've probably got at least 30 days on their passes already. It's the kind of place where you know everyone in the bar, and if you don't you introduce yourself.
There's no spas, or cell service, or fur collars, or exotic girls to go clubbing with after, like you'll get with some hyper-marketed, survey-filled, conglomerate funded soulless vacation filled with rude tourists like Whistler or Banff. But if you like skiing, drinking beer, and having a good time with some friends, there's a good chance you will fit in here.
Come ski with us, if you have the nuts.